Most of the major backhoes in production today utilize a stabilizer leg design where the leg (arm) attaches to the frame utilizing a pivot or hinge pin that is basically parallel to the ground, with it's axis extending in the machine front to rear orientation, when the machine is on its wheels, that is, unsupported by either the stabilizer leg or the front bucket. The stabilizer pad mounting pin to the arm connection, which is parallel to the arm pin, allows the stabilizer pad to pivot so that it is parallel to the ground when supporting or raising the machine.
In some machines there may be an unusual stabilizer leg or arm geometry due to the fact that the stabilizer pad is oriented so as to not make contact with the cab structures when the stabilizer leg is in the up position. In these machines the stabilizer arm mounting pin, on the other hand, may be approximately 5 degrees from being parallel in relationship to the ground and this geometry creates an undesirable situation for the stabilizer pad which is mounted on the opposite end of the arm by a pivot pin that is parallel to the arm pivot pin. As a result the pad is very seldom in even parallel contact with the ground when the arm is lowered to support and raise the machine. This, in turn, creates very uneven loading on the resilient surface of the stabilizer pad which results in an uneven wear pattern and premature failure of the resilient pad surface.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an improved stabilizer pad construction that allows the pad to remain parallel to the ground supporting surface when the arm is used to support and raise the machine. The improved pad construction enables this ground parallel support, within certain rotational limits, regardless of the arm pivoting structure and arm orientation.